Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty

You can imagine on jury duty, driving the other 11 jurors (and the judge ) nuts. Well, of course, that is the case here. It's also predictable in that he would be the only one to vote "not guilty," and, being the good Liberal-slanted show it is, would be proved correct getting an innocent black man off to boot!! This reminded me a bit of "12 Angry Men," except it's 11 angry people at Monk, and you can't blame them.

Most of the things in here, including the jokes and the dramatic ending, are pretty predictable yet despite that, it was still fun to watch. It isn't however, one of the more cerebral episodes and a little more than far-fetched....but that's Monk. To the writers' credit, the surprise among the jurors was good (one of them was rotten, and it wasn't Adrian).

I decided to watch this episode because Screenrant said it is one of the best. Who the hell paid them to say that???? Yet another rehash of the already annoying Twelve Angry Men, and this episode adds nothing worthwhile. The setup doesn't suit the show at all. I like seeing Monk out and about, investigating an intriguing murder, not cooped up in a jury room with a bunch of caricatures. His way of solving the crime from his jury chair feels so trite and only makes the police look like idiots instead of making Monk seem brilliant. Monk is annoying and ridiculous the whole time, and he is kept apart from the captain and lieutenant, with whom most of the show's laughs were generated after they made the mistake of dropping Sharona. Avoid this episode!!!

I've really enjoyed watching Monk so far, but if this had been among the first of the series I would've gone no further. First, every show on TV just has to have a 12 Angry Men episode, which has become so overdone that's it's pretty much a cliche now. Normally, Monk does well turning familiar tropes on their heads, but it doesn't work here.

The other thing is how Monk's condition is portrayed. The series always plays his OCD and phobias for laughs, and usually it works because we're always reminded that ultimately what Monk is dealing with every day is no joke and no one is more aware of it than Monk himself. But in this episode, the writers skirt around all this by making it seem like it's all an affectation - something he chooses to get attention. Even Natalie tells the judge that Monk is "persnickety" instead being a real advocate for him.

The bottom line is that this episode is so far from being grounded in any kind of reality that it ends up being more annoying than anything else. There is just no way a man like Monk, with his mental health challenges, his career, and his connections to the people involved in the case would ever be chosen to sit on a jury. I recommend skipping this one and rewatching the finale from season 3 instead.

Monk's ticks are more infuriating than ever in this episode, usually the writing uses these OCD habits to further the plot but now they're just unnecessary acting tropes.

Monk's OCD is off the wall. He ends up being the odd man in the jury room, a parody on 12 Angry Men. It is wonderful to watch him invade the psyches of the other eleven jurors. He really shows his analytical skills and only stubbornness keeps him from being immediately successful. I loved his fixation on the crooked Venetian blinds.